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each one, with a noble bearing, as if nothing unusual had happened, they carried them out jeering, and the accusation often on their tongues was: “The enemies and ill-disposed to the emperors, the would-be emperors, who in every way, if they had not been prevented, were able to rule, the pests of the army, who through sorcery treacherously undermined the father, but under the guise of protection and security lay in wait for the son, how they have paid a worthy penalty as they ought, how it has been justly accomplished, and how loyally we shall henceforth serve the master, having been freed from the evils from that quarter.” This they said, and they made their possessions the spoil of the Mysians, with both hands draining the wealth from their tents. When these things were thus accomplished, with no one seemingly able to stand in the way of the raging multitude and anarchy, some being truly afraid, and others by pretense—a sign of this: for when the wife of the protovestiarios was present there and was making a terrible scene and speaking out about the atrocities committed, the grand constable, her uncle, restrained her sternly on the spot, ordering her to be silent, fearing that she too might suffer the same things if she were not silent, so that all were seized with fear, and masters and servants were equally possessed by the terrors, each one seeking to save himself, they departed from there immediately, not caring for what they had come for and fleeing in disorder. They established a safer guard than before for the emperor, lest any further revolt should occur. Thus with all things in confusion, each one secured his own affairs as best he could.

20. How on account of these things some of the magnates withdrew, and others were on their guard. And those around Karyanites, who was then protovestiarios, a venerable and very worthy man, took to flight, deserting 91 to the Persians, not out of anger toward the emperor, but fearing for themselves on account of the confusion of affairs; for if the attackers acted of their own will, with no one inciting them, they could do so again, having been punished in no way; and if others incited them to attack, those same people could also incite them against them, and thus many would be in danger unexpectedly, especially those in positions of authority, against whom envy, great and terrible, crept. Therefore, on account of these things, they immediately set out for Persia that very night at full speed, while others withdrew elsewhere, suspecting the greatest dangers, and still others kept guard as they were able. The grand constable, however, having appointed his brothers, who were young and intelligent, one of whom was called John, and the second after him Constantine, who were not yet distinguished by offices, established the appropriate guards for himself. From then on, they visited the emperor more frequently and spent the day with him, and most also spent the night; and competing with one another, they showed their loyalty and faith toward him to be manifest and as great as could be.

21. How the nobles contended over the guardianship of the emperor. Nevertheless, they also contended with one another and began to quarrel. Their contention arose from ambition; for they disputed with one another over the care of the emperor, each of those in high office being unwilling to be subordinated to his peers. For on the one hand there were the Tzamantouroi of the Lascaris family, adorned with both age and wisdom, and not only that but also their kinship and grandfatherly relation to the young emperor gave them great boldness in seeking these things, and on the other hand those who drew their lineage from the Tornikioi, the first of whom was also the grand primikerios; these too had a strong claim to what was contested, their father's intimacy and brotherhood in letters 93 with the new emperor's grandfather, the emperor John Doukas. Then there were the Strategopouloi, of whose family Alexios was prominent, commanding great respect from all as being of a good old age and having accomplished very much besides; whose son also

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ἕκαστος, μεθ' ὅτι γενναίου τοῦ παραστήματος, ὡς οὐδενὸς καινοῦ γεγονότος, ἐξεφόρουν ἐπεγγελῶντες, καὶ τὸ ἐπὶ γλώσσης ἔγκλημα συχνάκις λεγόμενον ἦν· «Οἱ ἐχθροὶ καὶ δύσνοι τοῖς βασιλεῦσιν, οἱ βασιλειῶντες, οἱ παντὶ τρόπῳ, εἰ μὴ κεκώλυντο, οἷοί τ' ἄρξαι, οἱ τοῦ στρα τιωτικοῦ ἀλιτήριοι, οἱ μαγγανείαις μὲν τὸν πατέρα μεθ' ὑπουλότητος ὑπελθόντες, φυλακῆς δὲ δόξῃ καὶ ἀσφαλείας τῷ υἱῷ ἐφεδρεύοντες, ὡς δεδώκασιν ἀξίας καὶ ὡς ἔδει τὰς δίκας, ὡς εἰκότως διαπεπράχαται καὶ ὡς εὐνοϊκῶς τοῦ λοιποῦ δουλεύσομεν τῷ δεσπότῃ, τῶν ἐκεῖθεν ἀπαλλαγέντες κακῶν.» Ταῦτ' ἔλεγον, καὶ λείαν Μυσῶν τἀκείνων ἐποίουν, ἀμφοτέραις ἐξαν τλοῦντες τὸν πλοῦτον ἐκ τῶν σκηνῶν. Τούτων οὖν οὕτω τελεσθέντων, μηδενὸς οἵου τε δοκοῦντος μαργῶντι πλήθει καὶ ἀναρχίᾳ ἐμποδὼν ἵστασθαι, τῶν μὲν ταῖς ἀληθείαις δεδιότων, τῶν δὲ καὶ κατὰ προσποίησινσημεῖον δέ· καὶ γὰρ τῆς τοῦ πρωτοβεστιαρίου συζύγου ἐκεῖσε παρούσης καὶ δεινὰ ποιούσης τε καὶ λεγούσης ἐπὶ τοῖς τολμηθεῖσιν, ἐμβριθέστερον ὁ μέγας κονοσταῦλος καὶ θεῖος αὐτόθεν ἐπεῖχεν, ἐπιτάττων σιγᾶν φοβουμένῃ μὴ καὶ αὐτὴ πάθοι, εἰ μὴ σιγῴη, τὰ ὅμοια, ὡς γοῦν συνεχέθησαν ἅπαντες καὶ κύριοι καὶ ὑπηρέται ἐπ' ἴσης εἶχον τῶν φοβερῶν, ἑκάστου ζητοῦντος τὸ σῴζεσθαι, ἀπαίρουσιν ἐντεῦθεν εὐθύς, ἐφ' ὅ τι καὶ παραγένοιντο μὴ φροντίσαντες καὶ σὺν οὐδενὶ κόσμῳ φεύγοντες. Τῷ μὲν βασιλεῖ ἀσφαλῆ πλέον ἢ πρότερον τὰ τῆς φυλακῆς ἐφιστῶσι, μή τι καὶ νεωτερισθῇ πλέον. Οὕτω συγχυθέντων ἁπάντων, ἕκαστος δὲ τὰ καθ' ἑαυτὸν ὡς εἶχε κατησφα λίζετο.

κʹ. Ὅπως τῶν μεγιστάνων διὰ ταῦτά τινες ἀπεχώρουν, οἱ δὲ καὶ διεφυ λάττοντο. Καὶ οἱ μὲν ἀμφὶ τὸν Καρυανίτην, πρωτοβεστιαρίτην τότε τυγχάνοντα, ἄνδρα γεραρὸν καὶ πολλοῦ τινος ἄξιον, φυγῇ ἐχρῶντο πρὸς Πέρσας αὐτομο 91 λοῦντες, οὐ βασιλεῖ ἐγκοτοῦντες, ἀλλὰ περὶ ἑαυτοῖς δεδοικότες διὰ τὴν τῶν πραγμάτων σύγχυσιν· εἴτε γὰρ αὐτοβούλως ὥρμων οἱ ἐπιθέμενοι, μή τινος παρορμῶντος, ἔχειν καὶ πάλιν οὕτως ὁρμᾶν, μηδ' ὁτιοῦν κολασθέντας· εἴτε καὶ ἄλλοι σφᾶς ὁρμῶντας παρώτρυναν, ἐκείνους καὶ κατ' αὐτῶν παροτρύνειν ἔχειν, κἀντεῦθεν κινδυνεύειν μὴ προσδοκῶντας πολλούς, καὶ μᾶλλον τοὺς ἐπ' ἐξουσίας ὄντας, οἷς ὁ φθόνος ὑφεῖρπε πολὺς καὶ δεινός. Οἱ μὲν οὖν διὰ ταῦτα αὐτονυχεὶ εὐθὺς Περσίδος ἀνὰ κράτος ἤλαυνον, ἄλλοι δ' ἀλλαχοῦ ἀνεχώρουν, κινδύνους ὑφορώμενοι τοὺς μεγίστους, ἄλλοι δὲ καὶ ὡς οἷοί τ' ἦσαν διεφυλάττοντο. Ὁ μέντοι γε μέγας κονοσταῦλος, τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ἐπιστήσας, νέους ὄντας καὶ συνετούς, ὧν ἅτερος μὲν Ἰωάννης, ὁ δὲ δεύτερος μετ' ἐκεῖνον Κωνσταντῖνος ἐλέγοντο, ὀφφικίοις καὶ οὔπω σεμνυνομένους, τὰς πρεπούσας ἑαυτῷ φυλακὰς καθίστη. Ἐντεῦθεν καὶ συνεχέστερον μὲν ἐφοίτων πρὸς βασιλέα καὶ διημέρευον σὺν ἐκείνῳ, οἱ πλείους δὲ καὶ διενυκτέρευον· τὰ δὲ τῆς πρὸς ἐκεῖνον εὐνοίας καὶ πίστεως, καὶ μᾶλλον φιλοτιμούμενοι πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἐνεδεικνύοντο ἐμφανῆ καὶ ὡς οὐκ ἄλλως γε μείζονα.

καʹ. Ὅπως ἐφιλονείκουν οἱ ἄρχοντες περὶ τὴν τοῦ βασιλέως κηδεμονίαν. Ὅμως καὶ πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἐφιλονείκουν καὶ ἐρίζειν ἀπήρχοντο. Ἡ δὲ φιλονεικία ἐκ φιλοτιμίας σφίσιν ἐτύγχανεν· ἠμφισβήτουν γὰρ ἀλλήλοις τῆς περὶ τὸν βασιλέα φροντίδος, ἑκάστου τῶν ἐν ἀξιώματι ὄντων μὴ φέροντος τοῖς ὁμοίοις ὑποτετάχθαι. Ἦσαν γὰρ ἔνθεν μὲν οἱ ἐκ Λασκαρίων Τζαμάντουροι, γήρᾳ τε καὶ συνέσει κεκοσμημένοι, οὐ μὴν δὲ ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ πρὸς τὸν νέον βασιλέα συγγενῶς ἔχειν καὶ παππικῶς πολλὴν ἐνεποίει τὴν τοῦ ταῦτα ζητεῖν παρρησίαν, ἔνθεν δὲ οἱ ἐκ Τορνικίων τὸ γένος ἕλκοντες, ὧν ὁ πρῶτος καὶ μέγας πριμμικήριος ἦν· εἶχον γοῦν καὶ οὗτοι τὸ πρὸς τὸ ἀμφιβαλλόμενον ἰσχυρόν, τὸ ἀπὸ πατρὸς οἰκεῖον καὶ ἀδελφικὸν ἐν γράμμασι 93 πρὸς τὸν τοῦ νέου πάππον καὶ βασιλέα Ἰωάννην τὸν ∆ούκαν. Ἐκεῖθεν οἱ Στρατηγόπουλοι, ὧν τοῦ γένους ἐπίδοξος ὁ Ἀλέξιος, πολλὴν φέρων τὴν αἰδῶ ὡς εὔγηρως ἀπὸ πάντων καὶ πλεῖστα προσέτι κατωρθωκώς· οὗ καὶ ὁ παῖς